The present invention relates to suspendable containers, and more particularly to such containers adapted for specific uses as insect collectors and the like.
Suspendable containers of the prior art include pails having wire bails hingedly connected thereto, bird feeders having hook appendages upwardly extending therefrom, and planters that hang by macrame and the like. One insect trap of the prior art, known as a Jackson trap, includes a ventilated paper or cardboard housing having solid bait suspended by a basket within the housing, and a hook for supporting the trap from a branch within a fruit tree. The Jackson trap is unsuitable for use with liquid bait, and thus finds limited application such as collecting medfly samples for use in managing quarantine boundaries.
Another insect trap of the prior art, known as a McPhail Bottle, includes a necked glass container having a bottom opening and an annular reservoir surrounding the bottom opening for holding a supply of liquid lure, a domed wall portion of the container extending from an outer extremity of the reservoir upwardly and inwardly to the heck. A flange extends outwardly about the neck for engagement by a wire yoke, a wire bail having an upper hook extremity being hingedly connected to opposite sides of the bail. The neck is sealingly closed by a conventional rubber stopper for confining insects entering the bottom opening to a limited spatial volume above the reservoir. The insects, which are unlikely to fly downwardly through the bottom opening, eventually contact the liquid lure, drowning therein. The McPhail bottle exhibits a number of disadvantages, including:
1. It is awkward to use in that the container is excessively heavy, making the trap difficult to hang in many locations, particularly in that only stout branches of trees and other foliage are sufficiently strong to provide the necessary support; PA1 2. It is dangerous in that the glass is subject to breakage, and the excessive weight is a likely cause of injury to persons nearby in case the trap falls from its support. PA1 2. The stopper is difficult to remove when desired for cleaning and/or refilling the reservoir; and PA1 3. There are no provisions for using solid bait in proximity with the liquid lure. PA1 (a) providing a ventilated vial having upper and lower openings, an annular reservoir surrounding the lower opening, an upper wall extending over the reservoir to the upper opening; PA1 (b) loading the reservoir with a material effective for immobilizing insects; PA1 (c) providing a hook assembly having an upper downwardly facing hook portion and a stopper portion spaced below the hook portion; PA1 (d) passing the hook assembly upwardly through the lower opening; PA1 (e) passing the hook portion upwardly through the upper opening with the stopper portion supportively contacting the upper wall on opposite sides of the upper opening; PA1 (f) suspending the container by the hook assembly with the hook portion being supported by an external member; and PA1 (g) drawing insects into the vial, the insects passing upwardly through the lower opening and being immobilized in the reservoir. PA1 (a) providing a ventilated fixture; PA1 (b) loading a bait body into the fixture for producing attractant vapors emanating from the fixture; and PA1 (c) suspending the fixture within the vial.
Thus there is a need for a suspendable bottom-ventilated container that is easy to use, inexpensive to produce, and effective for collecting insects using liquid lure and optionally solid bait.